| NEWS 02.13.09 12:28 PM |
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White House Correspondents' Association Taps Wanda Sykes as M.C.
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The Associated Press reported last night that comedian Wanda Sykes has accepted an offer to be the M.C. at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington May 9.
The yearly black-tie affair for journalists, politicos, and celebrities will be the first for President Barack Obama, and he is expected to attend. Obama also plans to follow tradition by performing his own act of comedy before the crowd of 2,000 at the Washington Hilton.
Still, most of the pressure falls on Sykes. Scrutiny over the dinner’s headline performances has brought harsh criticism of some comedians, most notably Stephen Colbert in 2006. As far as her preparations for the role, Sykes told the AP, “The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig—I made sure my taxes were paid." —Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Barack Obama, Wanda Sykes, Stephen Colbert |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 06.12.08 12:31 PM |
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M.C.s Gone Wild: Keeping Talent From Going Off-Book and Out-of-Bounds
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 | Jon Stewart at a 2005 Magazine Publisers of America event
Photo: M. Szwajkos/ Getty Images |
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The great thing about napkins or centerpieces or tents is that they don’t talk back. They don’t have a bad day, forget their audience, or have a few too many cocktails before an event. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for people, and when a planner enlists someone as a host or M.C., a certain element of risk and unpredictability gets added to the mix. And a poor performance can upset guests, sponsors, journalists—and, of course, the process of producing the event itself.
For example: Rosie O’Donnell made some jaws drop at the New York Women in Communications’ Matrix Awards luncheon last year, dropping the F-bomb and unleashing a less-than-refined rant directed at Donald Trump. In 2005, Jon Stewart ruffled feathers while mediating a panel for the Magazine Publishers of America, during which he skewered—some thought inappropriately—the magazines of -panelists Dave Zinczenko (from Men’s Health) and Kate White (from Cosmopolitan). And tongues wagged after Stephen Colbert addressed the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner crowd, which included the commander in chief himself, with an irony-rich routine that many felt punched, rather than poked fun at, the president.
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RELATED TOPICS
M.C.s, New York Women in Communications, Matrix Awards, Magazine Publishers of America, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, AOL, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan magazine, Jon Stewart, Rosie O'Donnell, Stephen Colbert |
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